IS POLITICS A PROFESSION?

Have you ever wondered the infuriating responses you'll receive when you ask a youth, precisely someone in his late twenties or early thirties, the question "what do you do for a living?" one of such provoking responses is "I'm a politician." then I wonder, what could have led to such a response, or perhaps, he or she is a well-to-do person who only hide behind the mask of being a politician? My curiosity withers when I realize he or she depends solely on the stipend he or she receives from these millionaires, billionaires, who only use being a politician as a cover.

It is no more a fallacy that these days, almost 80% of the population venture into politics, why? Because they see it as avenue for amassing wealth and a forum to give their filthy lives a farewell. Now that their motives have changed, so does the way I view them change, from altruists whom the people call Freedom Fighters, fighting for the liberation of the minority, to egoist who only is engulfed by the lust of the luxury arising from it. To back up their absurd act, some idiosyncratic youths will make references to past altruists, liberals asking "were those people not politicians?" it will get herculean giving them answers because in the real sense they were politicians. Do they win the argument with that question? No they don't, they only provide means to view the phenomenon in several other perspectives. 

One of such perspectives is leadership being a clarion call which selected individual must obey, and not leadership on the verge of a must to do even if not called. Leadership on a verge of a must palpably shows one is concerned about oneself. A basic motive that drives people when being asked "why do you want to lead?" is "I want to fight for my people, I want to be an altruist and all sorts of those answers, then my question is "must you be a leader before you fight for the minors' rights?" Thrusting back into those days of liberation, the then altruists didn't start as being leaders but rather as those who represented the interest of the people, fought for their rights and liberated them from oppression. Their acts made the public recognized them as one who were worthy of being leaders. But the event has turned now, today's politicians don't care about peoples' interest any more, only few do. This has instigated the public (youths) to all ventured into it to have their part of the share, thus enriching their pockets and deteriorating the state of politics in the country. Furthermore, another point of view is the misconception of the public on these two terms "POLITIAN" and "POLITICAL SCIENTIST" The public these days don't reckon with the political scientist any longer, and the worst of it is the popular cliche often said as "you study political science in school, you end up being a politician " can they right about this? Yes they can, because we've erased the functions of the political scientist in the politics of our society. 

According to Wikipedia, political scientist are those who see themselves engaged in revealing the relationships underlying political events and conditions and from these relationships they attempt to construct general principles about the way the world of politics works, why politicians on the other hand are those active in Party politics or people holding or seeking office in government. In a broader perspective, a politician can be anyone who seeks to achieve political power in any bureaucratic Institution. The latter definition answers the question of argument "were those people (the then altruists) not politicians?" obviously they were because they were active in politics and held offices in government parastatals. To complement that, they achieved political power and influence. 

In the light of the above, to those idiosyncratic youths who called themselves politicians, now I ask you this, are you active in party politics? do you hold or seek offices in government? or have you achieved political power? If you cannot provide endearing answers to those questions, then there's a greater need to orientate you for you are only used as a political jobber. 

Sentiments apart, what could have caused the public(youth) thronging into politics? Could we say unemployment? Or perhaps their ardent for change? Whatever that is the cause, zeal or unemployment, that hasn't amounted to politics being a profession which the so called youths of today has been completely and lustfully engrossed in, but rather its involvement encapsulates the passion to obey the clarion call and zeal to serve diligently.

Written by:

Kolade Malik Ademola